main vine shoots?

[user 108580]

So my hop directions say to only allow 3-4 main vines to grow. I'm noticing these little shoots coming off of the main vines that are becoming there own vine. Should I cut these off? I have two strings per plant and grew 2 main vines per string. The base of the plant is starting to get pretty crowded with all these shoot outs.

 

[knox_brew]

If they're first year plants just let them grow so they can establish a good root system.

 

[user 108580]

If they're first year plants just let them grow so they can establish a good root system.

So should I train them up the string? I'm worried about crowding the string and developing mildew. I kid you not there must be at least 8-10 of these little shoot outs at the bottom of the plant all lookin for something to grow on.

 

[B-Hoppy]

Those are laterals/sidearms, and this is about the time of the year that they begin to form. They form at just about every node (the location where the primary leaves come off the main vine). As long as your main vines are growing well you can get rid of some of the lower ones to help dry out that crown area to help reduce the chance of disease like you mentioned. You should try to keep up with those because they can get out of hand in a very short period of time. Happy Growing!